The Island
by iKiohri
Summary: Saku-centric. Behold, an island that holds too many secrets. With disturbing ghost stories, a living jungle, jealousies, and threats, relationships will be tested in this mysterious island. What a "wonderful" vacation it turned out to be.Sequel-to-DITTC.
1. Arrival

**The Island**

* * *

_**Epic I**_** – Arrival**

* * *

The salty breeze from the ocean gently caressed her face and made her unbound, soft brown locks dance in the air. Sunlight bathed her body with just the right amount of intensity – not too hot, not too mild. _Just right_.

She was literally surrounded by white sand beach and sparkling blue water. Barefooted, she stood at the edge of the sea where the land meets the ocean. The gentle whiplash of the coming waves cooled her legs while the air coming from the water made the frilly skirt of her white summer dress imitate the waves' actions against her thighs.

_She was in paradise_.

Her chocolate brown eyes were half-closed. She was enjoying the intoxicating serenity brought about by nature. As she continued to stare at the endless spread of the sea before her, she could not help but think how wonderful her life would be if she is able to stop time right there and then. She wanted to preserve the moment of peace in her life in that paradise island.

_Yes_.

If given the choice, she would choose to spend the rest of her life in that place, together with her friends and the people she loves.

Forever.

With all of them.

_Of course, it was nothing but a __**selfish wish**__ made by a little girl._

* * *

_3 Days Ago._

"Kunimitsu_-nii?"_ she called as she quietly approached the slightly opened door of his room.

His mother had let her into the house a few minutes ago and told her that her son was waiting for the brunette in his room. Tezuka had invited her today for a quick game of _Shougi_. Always eager to spend some quality time with her _nii-san_, Sakuno had gladly agreed at the expense of missing a shopping trip with her best friend, Tomoka. She decided that she'll just make it up to her friend some other time.

She waited five seconds outside of his room for the sake of propriety. But when no answer came, she finally grabbed the handle of his sliding door and slowly pushed it off to the side.

"_Nii-san_?"

The girl was astounded by the sight she saw inside. Boxes upon boxes crowded the captain's usually neat room. Looking around, she realized that his room was almost bare except for a few papers that were neatly stacked on his study table. Gone were his personal things that were usually seen all over the bedroom.

_What is going on? Is her nii-san moving somewhere? If he is, why hasn't he mentioned anything to her?_

A frown marred her angelic face as she took four hesitant steps toward one of the piles of boxes that were stacked in the corner of his room. There was a small piece of paper taped on top of the uppermost box. Tezuka's neat hand-writing glared at her from the paper and she bent her head slightly to read the vertical words.

_**To Germany**_, the paper said.

Sakuno stumbled backwards as soon as she read the words.

_Germany?_

_Her nii-san is going to Germany?_

Of course, she had heard about Tezuka's plan to go to Germany in order to work on his goal to become a professional tennis player. But she never thought that it would come so soon. She expected Tezuka to at least finish his college schooling in Japan before embarking on his journey overseas.

_Why does he have to leave so soon?_

"Sakuno."

His deep baritone broke through her like a punch to the gut and her head instinctively jolted towards the source of the voice. She saw Tezuka staring at her with his probing eyes. There was no emotion expressed on his face, as usual.

She wanted to mouth something in response to his call, but so perturbed was she by the heart-breaking news that she was unable to summon words to her lips at the moment. Her eyes shook in confusion before she looked away from him.

Nothing was said between them for a while.

"We'll play downstairs," Tezuka finally said. "I have the board set up in the kitchen." He then turned and left the brunette inside his room.

When she finally came down to play with him, she tried to act as normally as she can. They acted as if nothing out of the usual happened. Tezuka never explained the presence of the boxes to her and she never brought it up. She did not want to hear the truth. In fact, she tried to forget it as much as she can.

She learned later on that most of the Seigaku regulars already knew about Tezuka's plan to go to Germany. Apparently, she was among the last to find out.

That hurt her even more.

After all they went through together, she would think that she and the stoic _buchou_ had grown close enough for him to tell her about important changes in his life. But no, even after her discovery of the boxes, he never alluded to it nor mentioned it to her.

Her Fuji-_senpai _had reasoned out that, perhaps, Tezuka was also having some difficulty discussing the matter to her. After all, the captain's fondness for the girl is no longer a secret. Tezuka might have not wanted her to know the truth until it became absolutely necessary.

And with the quick approach of his departure, he finally found a way to tell her – though in an indirect way as he had orchestrated when he invited her to his room so she can see the boxes he had addressed to Germany.

Indeed, he was leaving very soon – right after the vacation trip that they had planned for their Christmas break.

* * *

"Thinking about that again?"

Sakuno's head whipped back when she heard his voice. Her eyes instantly softened at the sight of him. He was just the person she needed at the moment.

Shaking her head delicately, she lifted one foot after another, and got out of the water in order to approach him.

Ryoma waited for her on the sandy beach. He was clad in a simple white shirt and black shorts. His white Fila cap was covering his head, as usual. An opened grape Ponta was also in one of his hands. Where he got the carbonated beverage, she had no idea. She suspected that he had brought his own stash, knowing that there probably won't be any Ponta vending machines available in the tropical island they were currently at.

"Liar."

She frowned at his comment, a little offended.

"My bad," he mumbled in response to her frown. "I meant _horrible_ liar."

As her frown deepened further, the infamous sexy smirk appeared on his face. Oh, how she wanted to huggle him every time he showed that seductive smirk of his.

"_Mou_, you won't even give me the benefit of the doubt?"

He shrugged carelessly. "I would've considered it if you weren't so obvious."

Finally admitting defeat with a soft sigh, she settled to stand right beside him and looked back at the vast empty ocean she was staring at moments ago. Ryoma followed her gaze.

"_Gomen_, I couldn't help it."

She paused and he waited for her to continue.

"I can't help but think about the future. After this vacation, Kunimitsu-_nii_ would move to Germany. Our third year _senpais_ would also be leaving for college. It would be so lonely without them."

Ryoma glanced at her from the sides of his eyes before he took a sip from his soda can. A minute passed before he finally replied.

"_Mada mada da ne_."

_Of course, he would say that_.

"You can't expect anything to be permanent. We all have our own lives to live," he continued. "Besides, it's not like he's going to disappear. You can still contact him."

Sakuno looked at his handsome face, surprised that he's actually exerting effort to comfort her. Normally, he would've just ignored her complains and steered the conversation somewhere else.

After all, he had told her that he wasn't good with these kinds of things – giving comfort.

"R-Ryoma-kun's right," she eventually said with a smile. She berated herself in her head for being so gloomy this early in their vacation. After all, she was the one who requested for this trip. She should allow herself to have fun with the others and enjoy their last few moments together. Who knows when an opportunity like this would come again?

The brunette closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the fresh air. She clasped her hands together on her back and continued staring at the scenery before her and the tennis prodigy.

"_Demo ne_," she whispered, "If I am given the choice to have only one person with me all the time, I would choose Ryoma-kun." Her smile turned fond as her brown eyes shone brightly under the sunlight. "As long as Ryoma-kun's by my side, I would be okay."

Ryoma's eyes widened a fraction. Her bold words of affection took him by surprise and he momentarily forgot that he was in the middle of taking a gulp of his Ponta. A horrible coughing fit resulted from his _faux pas_.

"_Ah_, Ryoma-kun!" Sakuno exclaimed in worry as she placed a hand on his back and gently patted the boy to help stop the coughing.

"_B-baka!_" he scolded her amidst violent coughs. He still hasn't cleared a few drops of the sugary liquid from his windpipe. "Don't say such things while I'm drinking!" he hissed, a faint blush covering his cheeks.

Sakuno let out a melodic giggle. "_G-gomen_," she apologized noncommittally.

Ryoma glared at her for her noncommittal apology and seized her chin with his free hand. "You-"

"_Oi, oi_, what's this? Already so lovey-dovey this early in the morning?" a voice interrupted the lovers' moment. "Get a room, you two!"

They both turned their heads only to be greeted by the sight of a grinning Momo. Beside him was Fuji, who had his usual sadistic smile on, while standing on his other side was Eiji, who had a hand on Momo's shoulder. The acrobat was also giving the two a beaming smile.

"Our _ochibi _is growing up so fast! Pretty soon, we might have a mini _ochibi_ to make fun of!"

Ryoma and Sakuno both reddened at Eiji's comment and suddenly distanced themselves from each other. The prince tipped his hat downwards to hide his embarrassment.

"I don't think Echizen has that kind of skill. He's kind of slow when it comes to the romance department," Fuji mumbled, joining his teammates in their teasing.

Ryoma's brow twitched at the _tensai_'s comment. He made a mental note to make Fuji pay for those words later.

"What do you guys want?" Ryoma asked in an irritated tone, wanting to end their jesting session.

"Calm down, Echizen. We just came to inform you two that the tennis courts are ready. The others are already playing practice games," Fuji uttered with a pleasant smile.

That's right. There were tennis courts in the private island resort where Atobe had invited them to. It was only expected. Tennis, for most of them, is like oxygen. They couldn't live without it, even when they are on vacation.

The Seigaku regulars and Sakuno had arrived on the island yesterday. They were accompanied by the Hyoutei regulars. Apparently, the Rikkai and Shitenhouji teams aren't able to make it to the island until tomorrow morning. Fudomine wouldn't be arriving until the day after tomorrow. On the other hand, St. Rudolph and Yamabuki aren't able to come to the vacation at all. It was mostly due to the conflicting schedules that some of them have.

"Let's go, Echizen. It wouldn't hurt to play a match or two. Unless… you're _scared _to lose," Momo taunted to encourage the boy to play.

Ryoma glanced at Sakuno, who gave him an understanding smile. She knew all too well how much these boys love tennis.

"Of course, Sakuno-chan is coming too!" Eiji proclaimed as he engulfed Sakuno in one of his affectionate bear hugs. "_Ochibi_ wouldn't be able to show off if his girl is not watching, _nya_! So let's go! Let's go!" the acrobat excitedly shouted as he started to drag Sakuno towards the direction of the tennis courts. Sakuno couldn't help but let out a joyful laugh as she was playfully dragged away. Fuji soon followed the two, the content smile never leaving from his face.

Left a few feet behind, Momo noticed the serious look that suddenly took over his _kouhai_'s face as the prince watched Eiji drag Sakuno away. His catlike eyes were darkened, as if the boy was preoccupied.

Knowing what the boy was thinking about, Momo let out a deep melancholy sigh.

"Have you told her yet?" he asked Ryoma quietly.

The boy simply tipped his cap downwards once again. He started following the trio without giving his Momo-_senpai_ an answer.

_Has he told her yet?_

_Of course, not._

_How can he_?

Ryoma narrowed his yellow eyes in misery.

_How can he ever tell her, especially when she always looks at him with that hopeful and trusting expression in her eyes?_

* * *

The sounds of tennis balls being hit with varying strengths resounded all over the courts. Most of the Hyoutei and Seigaku regulars were playing matches against each other under the heat of the tropical sun.

Much to Sakuno's embarrassment, some of them had already taken off their shirts since they were sweating so heavily. One would think that she would've gotten used to it by now since she's been the manager of a boy's tennis team for almost a year. However, her naturally modest character still brought out the pretty flush on her cheeks every now and then.

She concentrated on watching Ryoma's match against Momo as she sat on one of the bleachers. Of course, the prince was winning against the second year. Though Momo was an exceptionally skilled player, he was simply no match against the tennis prodigy.

Sakuno noticed the labored breaths that most of the regulars were taking and suddenly got inspired with an idea. She might as well make herself useful to them by bringing them some water to drink. She stood up from her sitting position and waved to get Ryoma's attention. The brunette quickly signaled that she'll be back right away.

Satisfied to receive a quick nod from him, she exited the courts and went off to get water for the tennis players.

The Western-style mansion wherein the Hyoutei and Seigaku regulars were allowed to stay in was as luxurious as it can be. Owned by the prestigious Atobe family, the structure boasted five floors with five spacious rooms located on each floor. The first floor of the building was intended for cooking, dining, socializing, and entertainment purposes. The back door of its kitchen area leads to another wing of the mansion wherein the servants' quarters are located.

There was another mansion on the west side of the island that was similar to the one rented out to the Seigaku and Hyoutei tennis players. However, since the west mansion was bigger (it has seven floors, instead of five), they decided to let the Rikkai, Shitenhouji, and Fudomine regulars occupy that one once they arrive on the island.

The first half of the island was composed of the two mansions, located on its farthest right and farthest left side, with the tennis courts, gyms, spas, and other facilities in between. On the last half of the island was an out-of-bounds thick jungle reminiscent of the Safari jungle in Africa. There was a rope with rectangular white strips of paper attached to it that marks the perimeter and separates the jungle from the island resort. It indicated to visitors that they were _prohibited_ to cross that boundary line.

Sakuno was almost to the east mansion when she saw that there were three regulars who stood talking in front of the structure's entrance. She soon recognized them to be Hyoutei's Keigo Atobe and her own Kunimitsu-_nii_. Behind the Hyoutei _buchou_ was his ever faithful follower, Kabaji, who stood waiting for the King to finish his conversation with Tezuka.

Though she tried to make herself invisible, Atobe, who was facing her direction, soon recognized her presence and alerted Tezuka about her.

"_Ah-n. _If it isn't our _hime-sama_," his regal voice called to her before she can hide. Not wanting to act disrespectful towards the wealthy tennis player, she had no choice but to approach their location and bow before them.

"_G-gomen_ if I disturbed you. I was just going to pass by."

By that time, Tezuka had already turned his head in order to face her. She sent the Seigaku _buchou_ a shaky smile, which he only acknowledged with a slight nod.

"Do you find _ore-sama's_ magnificent island resort facilities to your liking?" Atobe asked the girl, using his typical self-important tone. "Make sure not to forget to indulge yourself in the indoor pools and the Jacuzzis."

"_H-hai_," Sakuno replied with a nervous smile. "Thank you so much for inviting us."

"No need to shower _ore-sama_ with your gratitude. It is naturally in his generous character to do charity work such as this one," he brushed off her thanks, though not unkindly. "_Naa_, Kabaji?"

"_Ossu_," was the ever present reply.

The brunette couldn't help but sweatdrop at the familiar scene.

"Though you'll have to excuse _ore-sama_ for he has other businesses to take care of, at the moment. _Ore-sama_'s afraid that he would have to leave you in Tezuka's less-satisfying company."

The Hyoutei _buchou_ was about to reach for the young maiden's hand, in his usual manner of kissing it to charm the opposite sex. However, he changed his mind at the last minute when he noticed Tezuka's threat-loaded stern stare.

Atobe merely "_keh_'d" haughtily and closed his eyes. "_Iku zo,_ Kabaji," he ordered before leaving the Seigaku captain and the girl.

"_Ossu_."

Once they were left alone, Sakuno finally had the chance to freely talk to her _nii-san_.

"Are you busy today, Kunimitsu-_nii_?" she asked, hoping for a negative answer. Knowing that his departure to Germany was quickly approaching, she planned to spend as much time with him as she can. She wanted to make a lot of memories with him.

To her dismay, the stoic _buchou_ nodded.

"I have to finish filling out applications and looking over the terms of my college enrollment," he informed her.

"_S-sou_," she mumbled, disheartened.

Though if she thought more about it, it was already nice of the captain to still agree to come to the vacation, despite of the number of tasks he had to accomplish before he flies to Germany. She already owed him that much for granting her request.

Forcing a cheerful smile on her face to hide her disappointment, she said, "Maybe tomorrow then? We can spend some time fishing. I have been wanting to try the tactics you taught me a long time ago."

Tezuka just nodded, before he looked away from her. "We'll see," was his noncommittal response.  
"I'll be spending most of my time over at the west mansion. I want to concentrate in finishing my tasks before the others arrive."

Sakuno was surprised to hear that he planned to spend his first day in the island in isolation, but nodded anyway. "I'll- I'll try not to disturb you then." She gave him a warm smile, even though he wasn't looking at her.

He grunted once and then said, "Don't let your guard down."

With those words, she was left alone watching his back as he walked away.

She wondered if it would always be like this with her _nii-san_ from now on…

_Always watching him from far away, all the while missing the closeness that they once shared._

* * *

"H-Hiyoshi-san?"

The brunette was somewhat surprised to find the second year Hyoutei regular when she entered the kitchen of the east mansion. He was wearing his Hyoutei tennis uniform with a matching light blue towel draped over one of his shoulders. Hiyoshi momentarily looked up from filling his glass of water from the dispenser of the fridge when he heard someone call his name.

"You're alone?" Sakuno followed up, attempting to make friendly conversation.

"Do you see two of me in this room?" he asked sarcastically, before looking away from her.

Sakuno was a little taken aback by the hostility in his tone. Though she had spent some time with him during their last adventure, she still hasn't gotten used to his brash attitude.

"S-sorry for asking such an obvious question," she mumbled guiltily. "It's just that the others are already playing in the tennis courts. And I guess…I just…expected you to be with them."

Hiyoshi didn't say anything in reply.

Sakuno took that time to grab an empty jug that was located on top of the far sink in the kitchen and started to fill it up with sterilized water. While she was waiting, she remembered something and attempted to make another conversation with the antisocial player.

"_Sou da ne_, I haven't gotten the chance to properly thank you for mentioning my wish to Atobe-san." She smiled as she faced him, bowing deeply. "_Arigatou gozaimasu_. If there's anything I can do to repay-"

"You have nothing I want," Hiyoshi cut her off. "Besides, whoever said I did it for you anyway?"

That dampened her cheerful spirit and the pleasant smile shook on her lips.

"E-even so. It was still thanks to you that we're able to spend some time in this nice island resort. It really is a beautiful island," she told him courteously before facing her jug of water. She realized that it's probably better if she left the Hyoutei player alone. He obviously didn't want to talk to her and she didn't want to irritate him any further.

To her surprise, he replied to her statement.

"_Sou ka_? It certainly is pretty nice here. Though I wouldn't advise you to wander around the area at night."

Sakuno turned her head back to Hiyoshi and blinked cutely. "Is it…dangerous outside at night?" She figured that there are probably some wild animals that may wander into the facility once darkness takes over the place. There weren't any fences that barred the facility from the jungle area except for the rope that marked the boundary lines.

"Dangerous?" Hiyoshi smirked darkly and paused before saying, "It's _more_ _than _just dangerous."

The foreboding tone in his words had the effect of giving her goosebumps.

"Haven't you heard the rumors?" he continued, still using his creepy tone. Sakuno got the feeling that she isn't going to like whatever Hiyoshi is about to say next.

"This island is _**haunted**_."

_And so it began._

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

I'm back! For a while? Hahah.

To tell you guys the truth, I debated for such a long time regarding whether or not I should write this sequel. Sequels never do well, since the original is always better. But oh well, we'll just see, I guess. If I don't like where the fic is going as I write, I might just discontinue it.

Anyway, I plan to tackle different themes in this sequel. I'm aiming for more mature themes, especially in the case of Sakuno's and Ryoma's relationship. They are around 16-17 years old in this fic, after all.

People who haven't read "Danger in the Tennis Courts" are not required to read the prequel in order to understand the general plot of this new story. However, there are certain aspects that might confuse you – especially when it comes to relationships between certain characters. I think most of them are pretty explanatory though, so I hope you still give this a try even if you don't want to read DITTC.

So yes, for now, I'm hoping for the best.

Please read and review. I'm curious to know your thoughts about this new story so far.

Until next time?

**Japanese Vocab:**

_Shougi_ – Japanese chess

_Nii-san_ – big brother

_Demo ne_ – but

_Baka_ – idiot; stupid

_Hime-sama_ – princess

_Iku zo_ – Let's go

_Sou da ne _– That's right

_Sou ka_ – Is that so?


	2. The Woman

**The Island**

* * *

_**Epic II**_** – The Woman**

* * *

It just had to rain that night.

Out of all the other nights, the sky chose this particular one to pour its load over the curious island.

_How wonderful._

And it wasn't just light rain too! Lighting and thunder accompanied the heavy rain outside, making the island seem more alive than she ever thought it could be.

Why, _oh why_, does fate love to toy with her like this?

"Are you feeling well, Ryuzaki-san? You look kind of pale."

Turning her head to the right, she saw Oishi, who was seated beside her in the dining table. His brows were slightly knitted in an expression of concern for her health.

Sakuno tried to smile at the thoughtful _fukubuchou_, though it came out more as a grimace. At the moment, her thoughts are so infected by the ghost stories that Hiyoshi had related to her earlier that day that she wasn't able to summon the will to show a genuine smile for her _senpai_.

The regulars who were seating closest to her in the long dining table also turned their heads and looked at her probingly when Oishi had vocalized his question.

_Not good._

_She didn't want to attract that much attention._

She glanced across the table and saw Ryoma giving her a questioning look. He had noticed earlier that she seemed to be greatly bothered by something, but she had brushed his worry away with lame excuses.

Hiyoshi was quietly observing Sakuno with a secretive smirk on his face a few seats from the group's location. He knew exactly what was bothering the poor girl. She's so naïve and gullible. He could not believe that she actually got affected by the ghost stories he told her earlier. She just made it so much entertaining for him. He must admit that she _is_ fun to bully.

"Perhaps the young lady doesn't like the dinner meal that's served to her," said a low and crusty voice that came from her left side.

This time, when she turned her head towards her left, she almost jumped up from her seat. She was grateful that she was also able to stifle the scream that almost came out of her mouth.

Before her, was the looming, large and sallow face of the old maid who was in charge of taking care of the east mansion. Clad in a worn-out and faded kimono, she was probably half the height of Sakuno, stooping, and hunch-backed like the typical Japanese women of ancient horror tales. She had striking grey hair that was swept up in a bun on top of her head. Her eyes, which seemed like they would pop out of their sockets anytime soon, stared at her as if determined to suck up her soul.

The brunette laid her hand on her chest and tried to keep a pleasant expression on her face as to not offend the old woman.

"_I-iie,_ it's g-great. I'm just… having... um… stomach cramps," she finished lamely and let out another soft nervous giggle. "If…you would excuse me, I think I'll retire early for the night."

Sakuno bowed before them and took her half-eaten meal with her, intending to put her plate in the kitchen. Most of the players in the dining area eyed her curiously. The maid seemed to have also taken a keen interest in the brunette's unusual behavior.

The old woman was among the few caretakers who were allowed to stay in the island with the players. Originally, Atobe had planned to bring numerous servants to tend to the players' needs while they were vacationing. Being the extravagant host that he is, he wanted to ensure that his guests would be as comfortable as they can be.

However, most of the players had protested against it. They reasoned out that they would never feel comfortable having a butler or an attendant following them around every second. After all, most of them are private people who prefer privacy over attention.

As an end result, Atobe just opted to keep the people who originally take care of the island resort when it is not being used. Aside from the maid, there are the cooks who prepare the meals for the vacationers (one cook per mansion), a gardener, and a butler who manages the west mansion.

"_Nya_, should we call a doctor to do a check-up on Sakuno-chan's cramps? She might've caught some weird stomach virus. We are in an exotic island, after all," inquired a worried Eiji.

Oishi's face turned as red as a tomato when he heard the acrobat's question. "I-I don't think it's because of that, Eiji," he mumbled awkwardly. "It might be that 'girl thing' that happens every month, you know."

Eiji's ears perked up and he blinked in confusion. "What girl thing?"

The poor vice captain turned even redder, if still possible. He fidgeted in his seat as if wanting the ground to suddenly open up and swallow him. Why does his doubles partner have to be so slow sometimes?

"It's called menstruation or menses," Inui dutifully answered from his place. "It is the periodic discharge of bloo-"

Kaidoh and Momo blushed, coughed, and almost choked on their food when the data man started sputtering a detailed definition of menstruation over their dinner. The nerve of this data man! Just because he takes a scientific view of everything doesn't mean that everyone else around him does.

The Hyoutei players who were on the far end of the table were spared from hearing the embarrassing conversation simply thanks to their distance. Now, most of the Seigaku players wished that they also sat on that side of the room.

"_S-senpai_! Can you please not say it while we're eating?" Kaidoh growled out in his deep voice, completely abashed. The boomerang snake specialist suddenly found himself wishing that Tezuka opted not to stay over at the west mansion tonight. If the _buchou_ was there, he would've taken control of the situation before it got out of hand. As it is at the moment, it seemed as if chaos always ensues whenever the captain is not around.

Fuji could barely contain his amusement at the current conversation. His sadistic mind was having a field day. He definitely enjoyed seeing the awkward and embarrassed faces of most of his teammates. On the other hand, Ryoma chose to tune out his _senpai_'s. Having been able to put up with them for almost four years, he had developed useful techniques for ignoring their antics.

He turned his thoughts towards the condition of the brunette. For a second, he debated going after her to make sure she's okay. But then again, if the situation really was as his Oishi-_senpai_ suspected, then it's probably better if he left her alone and give her space for now.

Besides, he had enough trust in their relationship to believe that she would come to him immediately at the first sign of trouble.

* * *

_Later that night…_

Sakuno woke up at the booming sound of thunder. It was accompanied by lightning that struck somewhere beyond her bedroom window. When the flash of the lightning faded, she suddenly became aware that her room was in complete darkness. It was odd since she didn't remember turning off the lights before she went to bed.

After the stories she heard from Hiyoshi, she knew that she can _never _go to bed in that mansion with the lights out.

Not wanting to stay in the darkness for another second, she sat up and quickly felt for her cellphone on the bedside table. Its meager light provided enough lighting in the room for the time being. She flipped her phone open and found out from its digital display that it was already past 2 am in the morning.

"_This one is a story that I heard directly from the cook residing in this mansion," Hiyoshi began, the coldness of his tone making her body freeze in terror. _

"_One stormy night, at around 3 o'clock in the morning, he heard the weeping voice of a woman. It was coming from one of the rooms on the third floor of the mansion. Thinking that it was actually the maid, who's the only other person in the mansion with him during that time, he bravely followed the source of the voice. One step at a time, he got closer to his destination._

"_He was right. It was coming from a third floor room – one with its door semi-open. Concerned about the condition of the maid, since he thought she had fallen or something, he did not hesitate to enter the room. _

"_He was greeted by the sight of a woman who was crouching next to the bed, facing away from him. Her face seemed to be buried behind the sleeves of the kimono she was wearing. He asked her repeatedly if she was okay. Twice, thrice – he couldn't remember. But she neither answered nor acknowledged his presence. She just continued to weep._

"_Finally getting impatient, he decided to place a hand on her shoulder. That was when the woman finally lowered her hands and took her face away from her kimono sleeves. Very slowly, her head turned towards him, but when he fully saw her face…" Suddenly, Hiyoshi paused and the creepy look on his face was gone._

"_Keh, I really shouldn't tell you," he told her dismissively. But he knew the damage had already been done. Sakuno's face was so pale and her eyes so wide that she literally seemed frozen in horror._

The unwanted remembrance of the story made Sakuno more anxious than she already was. And suddenly, whether it's the product of her overactive imagination or not, the brunette felt the air around her drop a couple of degrees lower.

She jumped at the feeling and rushed towards her door where the light switch was located. With shaking hands, she hurriedly flicked the switch on.

And on.

And on.

And on.

But the light never came on.

'_Did the storm bring down the power lines in the island?' _Sakuno thought in panic.

But if that was the case, why isn't anyone making a commotion about it? The others should've noticed that the powers had gone out by now.

And then, she realized it.

How silly of her.

They are _men_. Of course, they wouldn't get easily bothered by silly things such as power outages or ghost stories. Besides, they're probably fast asleep at the moment. It is already past 2 am, after all.

Another loud boom of the thunder had Sakuno scampering back to her bed. She gathered her bedsheets around her and hid under it like a child. She was so frightened that for a second, she debated calling Ryoma. But then, she remembered that her cellphone is technically useless at the moment since there is no reception in the island.

She lied back down and closed her eyes, still under the cover of her blanket. The brunette tried to force herself to go back to sleep. But no matter how many times she tried, no matter how many sheep she counted, she just couldn't. She was wide awake.

It wasn't long before she finally realized that one of the reasons why she couldn't go comfortably back to sleep was because her throat was parched. She would do _anything_ for a glass of water at the moment. That might calm her down a bit and finally give her the rest that she desperately wanted.

Though as much as she wanted to go get some water for herself, she knew she wouldn't be able to make it downstairs alone in the dark. She would most likely frighten herself to death.

Her only other option— no matter how selfish it may be— is to wake up someone to accompany her. Her first choice was her Kunimitsu-_nii_. He already knew about her fear of lightning and thunder, and somehow, she wouldn't feel as embarrassed admitting to the captain that she was scared by ghost stories, than she would've if she told someone else.

But as fate had it, her Kunimitsu-_nii _was staying over at the west mansion for the night and thus, could not come save her.

That left her no other choice but to go with Ryoma. It will be inappropriate if she woke up one of her other _senpais_ at this time of the night. And though she really did not want to admit it, she was craving the boy's company at the moment. His presence always has the effect of soothing and calming her nerves. She always felt protected when he's by her side.

And so, with a decision finally made in her mind, she headed outside her room.

* * *

'_Mou, is it the third room in the second floor or the third floor?'_

She was in deep trouble.

The brunette couldn't exactly remember which floor Ryoma's room was on. All she remembered was that it was below her floor, which was the fourth.

She slowly walked along the unlighted hallway of the third floor, very mindful of her surroundings. In the darkness, the meager light that her cellphone casted turned the shadows of the hallway decorations into nondescript monstrous forms.

Sakuno tried not to look around her in fear that she might actually see something.

She was almost at the room where she thought Ryoma was in when she suddenly heard a distant sound.

It sounded like… weeping?

"_One stormy night, at around 3 o'clock in the morning, he heard the weeping voice of a woman. It was coming from one of the rooms on the third floor of the mansion…"_

Wait a minute…

She's on the third floor!

_Kabroooooom._

"_Kyaaah!_"

This time, she actually let out a squeal at the loud burst of thunder that came from the outside. Without any further thoughts, she went to the room to her left and pounded at it urgently with her fist. She was immensely relieved when she heard footsteps and the sleepy murmur of its male occupant coming closer to the door. As soon as the door opened, she hurriedly mumbled:

"Ryoma-kun! Ryoma-kun, you've got to help me, I thought I—"

"Choutarou, I already told you I haven't seen your necklace aro—"

The occupant of the room and the brunette both paused when they finally saw each other's faces. Sakuno's wide-eyed stare was soon complemented by a surprised gasp and a blush as soon as the light from her cellphone illuminated the person before her.

Shishido Ryou stood before her clad only in dark blue boxers and a thin white shirt.

"T- the heck? What the hell are you doing here?" Shishido awkwardly asked the girl, his cheeks darkening by every second. He was torn between wanting to cover himself out of respect for the girl and slamming the door on her face.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I really thought this was…I'm so sorry," said Sakuno over and over again as she bowed before him. After a couple more of "I'm so sorry" mutterings, she closed her eyes and ran away from his room without hearing what Shishido was trying to tell her.

_Oh crap. So Ryoma's room was on the second floor, after all_.

* * *

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

He turned over on his bed, wanting to drown out the offending nose.

_Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock._

A groan.

He really wanted that noise to go away.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

But it didn't.

"Ryoma-kun?" was the soft voice that came from outside of his room.

That forced him to definitely get up from his bed and leave the comfort of its warmth. He opened the door and what was the first sight that greeted him?

A blushing Sakuno who stood staring at the ground on his doorway. She was in pink pajamas that had white bunnies printed all over it. Her long hair was put up in a messy bun though a few strands had escaped the binding.

For a second, he wondered if he was still in his dream land. It looked similar to a scene that has been frequenting his dreams lately. But now was not the time to think about things like that…

"Ryuzaki?" he confirmed in his sleepy voice. "_Doushita_?"

Sakuno braved a chance to look up at the boy and was relieved to find him in pajamas, instead of boxers. After the embarrassing incident earlier, she doesn't know if she could ever face Shishido without blushing ten shades of red.

"_A-ano_…" she started.

Ryoma stared at her with his apathetic eyes, getting more impatient with every second that they wasted just standing there.

"C-can you…accompany me downstairs?"

* * *

''_Taku,' _he thought in exasperation.

So apparently, those clichés of girls who jump at the first sound of thunder also exist outside the world of movies. How bothersome.

_Why is he doing this again when he could've just stayed in the comfort of his warm bed?_

Ryoma casted a glance at the brunette beside him, who tried to stay as close to him as she can without actually touching him. She was worriedly looking at their surroundings as if afraid that something is bound to attack them any moment now.

The freshman prodigy couldn't help but flush upon how cute she looked getting all scared like that.

_That's right. He's just rendered powerless when it comes to this girl's innocently casted charms. She doesn't even need to try._

Frowning, he was a bit irritated by that thought.

He should get back at her for always making him vulnerable to her charisma.

Sakuno and Ryoma had finally reached the bottom of the stairs and started to cross the long hallway that will lead them to the kitchen. They were passing the lounging area of the mansion when an idea struck Ryoma. The thought of it lifted the corner of his lips into a sly smirk.

He slowed his pace a bit and waited until the girl was about a foot ahead of him. Ryoma then executed his plan. He bent his head forward and deliberately blew on the girl's exposed neck in an attempt to scare her.

As expected, Sakuno immediately jumped from her place and glanced behind her in alert. By that time, Ryoma had already pulled back and pretended to act nonchalantly.

"_Nn, doushita_?" he asked.

Sakuno frowned, before blinking. "There was something…" she started but then stopped herself, "_Mou… _I guess it was just me."

The brunette started walking again, but this time, actually stayed beside Ryoma. She hesitated for a moment before she grabbed Ryoma's right arm and hugged it.

Of course, the freshman had stiffened upon the close contact but gradually relaxed into it. He hid a smirk when he realized that his plan was actually going better than he expected.

Perhaps if he did it again, Sakuno would get more frightened and she would…

_Score_.

He waited until she was distracted again. She was in the middle of looking at a hanged up portrait when he bent his head sideways and blew on her—

'_Shoot!'_

Ryoma's eyes widened when his lips suddenly came into contact with the girl's cheek since she looked up at him right when he bent down. As a result, he ended up kissing her cheek and they froze in that position for a few seconds.

Sakuno was the first to snap out of their moment. With a deep blush on her face, she quickly disentangled herself from Ryoma and frowned up at him.

"R-Ryoma-kun, what—"

"I didn't mean to—"

_Whoooooooo_.

They both froze for the second time that night when they heard the mysterious sound. To Sakuno, it sounded very much like the sound she heard when she was on the third floor of the mansion. Goosebumps crawled along her skin as she unconsciously hugged Ryoma's arm again, momentarily forgetting their little "incident" a few seconds ago.

"W-what is that?" she whispered, frightened.

Ryoma strained his ears in order to get an idea of where the moaning sound was coming from.

"It's coming from the kitchen," he told the brunette. Determined to find out what it was, he started to head towards the source of the noise. Unfortunately for Sakuno, she had no choice but to follow Ryoma since she was attached to him.

Stealthily, they crept toward the kitchen area, fully alert just in case they encounter someone or _something_ in there.

_Step. _

_Step. Step._

The sound gradually increased as they got closer to the source.

_Step. Step. Step._

And when they finally arrived at the arching opening of the kitchen, they were both shocked to see…

An opened window.

Just an opened window.

And the moaning sound they heard was the wind noise coming in.

"_Che_," Ryoma grumbled out.

He then walked to the window and closed it, effectively stopping the noise.

Sakuno let out a sigh of relief. All of that worrying for nothing. Perhaps the weeping-like sound she heard from the third floor also came from an opened window. She should calm herself. Perhaps, she was just being overly paranoid.

"Get your drink so I can take you back upstairs," she heard Ryoma order her.

With a nod, she sent him a smile and moved to grab a cup from one of the cupboards in the kitchen.

* * *

"Are you going to be okay?"

Sakuno was already inside her room with Ryoma on her doorstep. They had managed to head back upstairs without any more awkward incidents or weird occurrences.

"_Un_. Thank you for accompanying me," she softly told him.

"And _gomen_, I had to be a bother to Ryoma-kun once again. I try not to," Sakuno told him with remorse in her voice.

"I didn't mind," he dismissed her worry. "It was fun."

Sakuno blinked up at him in surprise. "_Eh?_"

The prince merely smirked at her and closed his eyes. "_Betsu ni_," he mumbled before he turned away from her.

Ryoma soon disappeared from her view, leaving the brunette wondering what he actually meant by "fun."

* * *

It was already about 3:03 am when she got back to her room. The power was still out but she didn't mind anymore. Her throat is no longer parched and she believed she was actually tired enough to just pass out and not be bothered by her paranoia anymore.

Before Sakuno went back to her bed, she set up an alarm using her phone to ensure that she doesn't oversleep. Once she was done, she happily placed her phone back on her bedside table.

The girl couldn't help but glance out her window that was situated next to the table. It was looking out the back of the mansion towards the out-of-bounds jungle, which was completely hidden in the darkness. Apparently, rain continued to pour heavily outside. She just hoped that it wouldn't affect the cruise of the other regulars, who are on their way to the island at the moment. The brunette doesn't want their arrival on the island to be delayed or cancelled. But of course, she doesn't want anything to happen to them too, so she can only pray that they continue to have a safe trip.

She was about to look away from her window when she noticed the form of something white standing behind the rope that barred the perimeters of the jungle. It was sheltered under the cover of one of the tallest trees. The girl frowned, thinking that it was a wild animal, but it was too tall to be a four-legged animal and too narrow to be something that can stand up like a gorilla or a bear.

Sakuno narrowed her eyes in order to get a better look at what the thing was. By the time she got closer to her window, the lightning conveniently flashed and lit up the area outside for a second.

But that was all she needed to get a clearer view of the white form.

It wasn't an animal, but rather, _a person_.

A woman, to be precise.

A woman with long dark straight hair and white face.

And she was looking straight up at Sakuno's window, as if _glaring_ at her.

This time, she wasn't able to stifle the scream that came out of her mouth.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

So I decided to have a little fun with Sakuno in this chapter. Hahah.

Compared to DITTC, the mystery of this sequel is more geared towards the supernatural? As such, the action would not be as intense nor fast-paced, but will still be present.

To answer some of your questions, yes, KiriSaku will have a major part in this story once again. I love KiriSaku, remember? Lol. I just couldn't resist. Hopefully, I'll be able to pull off a more definite resolution to his relationship with Sakuno in this sequel.

Who knows, this might not end up as RyoSaku, after all? *Gets shot*

We'll see.

There will also be quite a lot of SakuxOthers interactions, though it's going to be mainly RyoSaku. It's just so fun to pair her up with other people sometimes. She's like the new black? Lol.

But yeah, for now, please read and review. Until next time!

**Japanese Vocab:**

_Doushita?_ – What's wrong?

'_Taku – _short form of _mattaku_, which is an expression of frustration

_Un_ – yes

_Betsu ni _– it's nothing


End file.
